


doctor, doctor, gimme the news

by yehetno



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, doctor!mingyu, pls love minkwan/boogyu, relevant tags will be added as we go, side junshua, some expletives, they so cute, whaaaaaaaaaaat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 14:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7687909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yehetno/pseuds/yehetno
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Well, when your doctor is <em>that</em> cute, of course your heartbeat will be off the charts.</p><p> </p><p> In which Boo Seungkwan gets his physical, and his doctor probably should have gone into modeling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. diagnosis

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from [ _Bad Case of Loving You_](https://youtu.be/aYm8HYi5tIk) by Robert Palmer. a hot doctor fic b/c why not.
> 
> please forgive typos. pls.

Seungkwan checks his bedside calendar and lets out a long, labored groan.

He has a doctor's appointment in a half an hour.  It's not like he hates doctors and has some phobia that stems from a childhood trauma involving needles and the kind of crying that borders on screaming; it's just that going to the doctor is time-consuming and boring.  The waiting room has magazines that no one reads; honestly, who has a genuine interest in a magazine solely devoted to golfing?  And he also doesn't need 17 tips on pleasing his man, thank you very much Cosmo, because he needs to get a man before he can work on pleasing him.

However, he needs to make sure that his body is still functioning in a normal capacity.  It might be boring, but it is the most unfortunate of necessities.  It doesn't help that he has not been looking forward to this all week.  His opportunity for free breakfast is wasted away because he didn't have the foresight to schedule his yearly appointment at a different time of day.

Seungkwan sighs and rolls out of bed, padding into the bathroom to wash his face, brush his teeth, and fix his hair.

He aggressively cleans his teeth and bitterly laments how swollen his face is.  He yanks a brush through his knotted hair, wincing every time his hair gets pulled because of a stubborn knot.  His bedhead gets bad, not _Hansol bad_  but bad.  He waffles on the decision to style his hair, as he slips into a pair of jeans and his favorite pale blue sweater.  Hansol has railed into him repeatedly for his preppy attire.  Seungkwan still vividly remembers the one time he tied a sweater over his shoulders and wore Bermuda shorts; Hansol had a lot of words, most of them unkind.

Seungkwan ultimately votes against styling his hair.  After all, who is he going to meet at the doctor's office?  The general practitioner that he sees is a 55-year-old man with a wife and three kids. Plus, he's not trying to get into the pants of the female nurses; anyone with a set of eyes can tell that he does not bat for that team.

He ignores the little Jeonghan in his head that talks about always being the most presentable version of himself.  Jeonghan, however, understands nothing about Seungkwan's day to day experience.  Seungkwan might have attitude and confidence in himself, but he knows that people aren't throwing themselves at his feet the way that they do to Jeonghan.  Seungkwan, ever the pragmatist, knows that every day can't be the best.

Seungkwan ends up leaving his apartment fifteen minutes before his appointment is scheduled to begin.  He has to hustle to the bus stop in the vain hope that it will deliver him to doctor's office in time to prevent a stern look from the ancient receptionist.  (Seungkwan secretly thinks that her calling is in the library, but he can't exactly tell a dinosaur to change professions because she has a wicked stink eye.)

An angel must be looking over his shoulder today to make up for the missed breakfast opportunity.  He makes it just in time to board the bus, and only two people call for the bus to stop between Seungkwan's house and his eventual stop.  He rushes a little bit to ensure that he seems a little bit together.

It doesn't stop the receptionist from giving him a judgmental look for arriving only five minutes ahead of time.  Her sharp gaze says that he should strive for an arrival at least fifteen minutes ahead of time.

Seungkwan offers an awkward smile after he finishes signing in.  He sets himself down with a quiet huff and pats his pocket, where his phone should be but is not.  Oh god no.  He takes back the thought about having an angel on his side today.  He sits in numb disbelief that he managed to grab his wallet but not his phone.  Now his options to kill time are to sit and stare at the generic ceiling tiles or leaf through the out-dated, uninteresting magazines that litter the waiting area.  He hopes, nay, he prays that a nurse calls out his name quickly so that he can speed through this appointment and physical check up.

Seungkwan holds his breath for lack of a better way to spend his time.  He shifts in his seat frequently, exhaling short, annoyed sighs every time that his new position turns out to be uncomfortable.

It takes forever and a day before his name is called out.  (Forever and a day roughly translates to eight minutes in real time; Seungkwan always has to time to hyperbolize and be dramatic.)

The nurse offers him a small smile and does the standard weigh-in and height measurement without many words.  Seungkwan hasn't grown, but he hasn't shrunk either (praise the Lord).  His exact weight he would rather not divulge, but he does fit into a healthy weight class for his height.  (His inner Wonwoo butts in about the inaccuracy and problems of using BMI as an indicator of health, and Seungkwan briefly hates the useless facts that his little bookworm spews because they get stuck in his head at the most inopportune times.  Wonwoo is only a chatter box when the subjects are boring.)

His nurse guides him to an exam room and sets his chart on the counter.  She says, "Dr. Han had a family emergency.  Dr. Kim will be examining you today.  Please change into the gown."

Seungkwan nods, wondering what his temporary doctor will be like.  There are a few other Kims at the practice, so it's a toss-up as to who will be walking through the door in a little while.  With a sigh, he strips down to his briefs and slips into the thin, paper gown.   He neatly folds his clothing and sets them on the seat of one of their waiting room chairs.

Seungkwan parks himself on the exam table with a little hop and proceeds to swing his legs.  He wishes that he was taller.  Wonwoo is tall.  Now that he thinks about it, basically he is only taller than Jihoon and that's not really an accomplishment.  Every centimeter counts, but he wishes that he was in the group that didn't obsess over it.  He shudders to think what will happen if he gets with someone that is as picky about height as he is.  (He has seen the squabbles between Kihyun and Changkyun, and they're _in love,_ like really in love.)

Seungkwan almost launches into a bitter internal monolog about his perpetual singleness and never being able to find a man that appreciates him, but that train of thought gets derailed when, perhaps, the most attractive person in the world walks in.

God damn.  

Incomprehensible is what it is.  First of all, this guy is a fucking tower, taller than Wonwoo, solidly over 180 centimeters.  His jawline is probably a registered weapon; it's so sharp that it practically cuts Seungkwan and all that he's doing is looking at it.  Prominent cheeks bones, a straight nose, and pink lips, the kind of face that plastic surgeons strive to imitate.  The point is, this guy is gorgeous, and Seungkwan just about has a heart attack being in the vicinity of this gentleman.  His cheeks warm; his heart thunders; and his lungs struggle to provide enough oxygen to his body.

A wave of confusion washes over Seungkwan as he further inspects the man.  He wears a lab coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck.  He pulls a pen out of his chest pocket and clicks it as he picks up Seungkwan's chart.  "Hello," a thick, velvety voice hums out as the man turns and smiles.

Seungkwan scoffs.  He cannot be real.  He barely qualifies as human, so there is no way that he is an actual doctor.

"I'm Dr. Kim."

Seungkwan processes this and glances at the name embroidered on the chest pocket. _Kim Mingyu, MD._

 Seungkwan lets his disbelief slip, "Don't lie."

 _Dr._ _Kim_ looks at him in confusion.  He looks like he's about to make a comment but decides to let it go.  "Let's take your blood pressure," he suggests, fashioning the cuff onto Seungkwan arm.

Seungkwan stares in mute disbelief as the "doctor" measures his blood pressure.  Kim Mingyu frowns while looking at the pressure gauge.  This is the moment where Seungkwan thinks that he'll confess.  Haha, the joke's on Seungkwan, he's not really a doctor. 

"It's higher than I would have expected," he murmurs with the shrug of a shoulder.

The good doctor checks everything.  He looks into Seungkwan's ear, shines a light in his eyes and asks him to look over his left shoulder, and looks at his throat while properly using a tongue depressor.  He even does the reflex test with the orange, rubber hammer.

Seungkwan is forced to accept that Kim Mingyu, though ridiculously hot, is, in fact, a doctor.

Finally, Mingyu puts on his stethoscope, tucking the buds into his ears.  With a smile, he presses the flat surface of the stethoscope against the skin of Seungkwan's back. 

He quietly commands, "Take a deep breath for me."

Seungkwan does, but he's more than aware that his physiological reaction indicates full-on attraction rather than an accurate depiction of his health.  Hell, he can hear his heart pounding in his ears, and he isn't using a stethoscope.

Mingyu nods as he pulls the stethoscope out of his ears, returning it to its place around his neck.  His expression is grim.  He places his fingers against the veins in Seungkwan wrists and nods once more.

"Boo Seungkwan, this is serious."

"What?" Seungkwan asks, genuinely scared.  Ten minutes ago, he didn't even believe this guy was a doctor, and suddenly, his fate is in his hands.

Mingyu pulls out a prescription pad, "I'm afraid it's incurable.  However, you can learn to live with it as long as you take medication." He scribbles on the prescription pad, and Seungkwan's heart almost fails (again).

He just meets an insanely hot doctor, and now he finds out that he is going to die.  Why is the world so cruel? 

Mingyu tears the prescription off and hands it to Seungkwan with a killer smile, "You can settle the bill with Kyungja."

Seungkwan looks at the paper.

A ten digit phone number sits where a medication name should be.

What?

Seungkwan squints at the description of illness:  _love-sickness_.

Oh, that smooth motherfucker.

Kim Mingyu, certified hot doctor, just gave Seungkwan his phone number.

Seungkwan changes his mind once more about the existence of an angel on his shoulder.  It most definitely exists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> excuse my breathtakingly accurate descriptions of medical equipment. if you don't hate a fic by the time you've finished writing it, tell me how you do it.
> 
> gimme a comment or kudos or bookmark it if it makes you happy.
> 
> as of august 22, i've decided that we're running with this.


	2. fill the prescription

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To call or not to call, that is the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH SO MAYBE I like them a little too much.  
> i'm still verkwan trash, but i'm even more boogyu/minkwan trash????
> 
> there was a lot more left to write about them... 
> 
> you guys know about me and my relationship with typos...

Seungkwan stares at the thin piece of paper with his hand clamped over his mouth, internally warring over how to proceed.

First option: do not call Kim Mingyu.  He probably does this kind of thing all the time.  Cute people like watching others trip over themselves, exhibit A, Jeonghan.  The good doctor probably has some inner office bet with his colleagues regarding the number patients that they can get to swoon over them.  The problem with not calling him is that Seungkwan can't remember the last time a living, breathing man tried to hit on him.

Second option: call Kim Mingyu to promptly reject him.  Doing so makes it seem as though Seungkwan isn't that easy.  He can easily berate Mingyu for being an unprofessional jerk; what kind of person misleads a patient in worrying about their health?

Third option: call Kim Mingyu with the intention of going on a date and living happily ever after. Seungkwan is a little bit partial to this option because it allows him to live the delusion that an attractive person might  _like_ him.  Sure, it means that he risks the potential of falling victim to a prank, or worse, a player.  However, it has been an extraordinarily long time since Boo Seungkwan has gone on a date.

He leans back and runs a hand through his hair in frustration.

He'll make a decision soon; he is going to tell Jeonghan, which ultimately means every mutual friend that they have will try to give him their two cents.

Jeonghan walks in with Hong Jisoo filing in seconds later.  Jisoo, for the record, frequently gets dragged into all of Jeonghan's messes because Jeonghan hates to create drama alone.  Jisoo is a good friend, a little bit religious, but he's the lawful good to Jeonghan's chaotic evil.

Seungkwan waits for them to order their coffee and drums his fingers on the table with impatience.

Jisoo waves at Seungkwan as he sinks into his seat.  He smiles, planting his chin on his fist, "How was your day?"

"Eventful."

"How so?" Jeonghan inquires before licking his thumb and attempting to fuss over Seungkwan's hair while sitting down.

Seungkwan swats the hand away in disgust.  "How many times have I told you  _not_ to do that?"  

Jeonghan shrugs.

With a sigh, Seungkwan answers his initial question, "I think a guy might have asked me out today."

"You think?" Jisoo asks, face scrunching in confusion.

Seungkwan sighs and slides the offending the piece of prescription paper over to his friends.

Jeonghan snatches it off the table and squints.  Jisoo peers over his shoulder with an arched eyebrow.

"You're going to call him right?" Jeonghan immediately asks.

Jisoo steps in before Seungkwan has a chance to give him the multiple choice question on what his decision should be and says, "No, he will not."

"Why wouldn't he call someone that is obviously a doctor?"

Jisoo scoffs, pressing a hand against his chest in horror, "That's exactly the point.  What kind of medical professional would do that?  That's like an abuse of power or something?  It's unprofessional, and I think that you deserve better than someone who would try something like this."

"I'm sorry but Seungkwan will not be taking advice from someone who can barely function around his crush," Jeonghan turns to Seungkwan.  "You have nothing to lose by calling whoever gave you his number."

Jisoo lets out a series of offended exhales, "I... What... I am perfectly functional around Junhui.  Thank you."

Jeonghan rolls his eyes and repeats, "You have nothing to lose."

The barista calls out Jeonghan and Jisoo's order, prompting them to retrieve their drinks.  Seungkwan takes his love-sickness medication prescription and sighs.  Jisoo, the moral compass, has already given a stamp of disapproval on his potential relationship, and Seungkwan thinks that the whole _but-he's-hot_ argument won't change that.  Jeonghan, the resident hedonist, is entirely open to Seungkwan hooking up with a doctor.  What a surprise.

 

//

 

 **bootiful:** s.o.s.

 **dodokyum:** why is your ship in distress?

 **han_solo:** I thought S.O.S. means save our souls????

 **dodokyum:** you're borderline useless i swear

 **bootiful:** should i call a hot doctor that used a weird pick-up line/method on me at the end of my checkup the other day?

 **han_solo:** idfc

 **han_solo:** It's your life to ruin.

 **dodokyum:** if he is hot, then yes. take yoon jeonghan down a peg and get yourself a man that outshines him. a hottie that only looks at u, boo.

 **wonwhat:** Are you at all compatible with him?

 **wonwhat:**  Mutual interests are key to a good relationship foundation.

 **dodokyum:** why r u so boring?

 **bootiful:** this has been startling unhelpful.

 **wonwhat:** I'm not boring.

 **han_solo** : debatable.

 

//

 

After four entire days of going back and forth and attempting to listen to the advice of his friends, Seungkwan comes to a decision. 

He is going to call Doctor Kim Mingyu.  However, he has promised himself that he will only dial the number once.  Mingyu has one chance and one chance only to pick up the phone in order to agree to arrange a time and place for a date.

Yes, Seungkwan is stacking the cards in Mingyu's favor, choosing to make his call at night to accommodate for what  _might_ be the doctor's schedule.  He just hopes that this pans out in the way that he wants it to go.

Seungkwan touches up his hair for a moment before realizing that Mingyu won't be able to actually see him if he answers the call.  He shakes his head and slowly dials Mingyu's phone number.  He ignores the way that his chest is constricting; it always does that when he has a modicum of romantic feelings toward another human being.

He paces his breathing and looks at the ceiling.  The phone rings and rings, and the longer that it goes on for, Seungkwan wishes that he would've chosen a better time to call the hot doctor.  Now he has squandered the opportunity to go on even a single date with this guy.  He slouches and grimaces, bracing himself for the lie that he'll have to leave on Mingyu's voicemail.  (Claiming that he called the wrong number is in the lead.)

The call suddenly connects, "Hello?"

Seungkwan's brain stalls.  He cannot remember the script, the one that he planned out to make it seem as though he's remotely cool.  Something about being willing to give Mingyu a chance?  A cheeky reference to getting his daily dose of Kim Min-cute?

"Hello?"

Someone in the background picks up on his phone's microphone, "Minmin, just hang up.  He's not going to call you, you great big oaf."

"Um," Seungkwan manages to blurt out.

"Who is this?" Mingyu asks.

"Boo..." Seungkwan starts, losing his nerve halfway through his own name.

"A ghost?" He guesses.  (He will geek out later over the sheer cuteness of that comment, believe him.)

He finishes choppily, "Seung-kwan."

"Boo Seungkwan?" Mingyu squeaks out in half-hope, half-excitement.

Seungkwan nods vigorously for a brief moment before remembering that it's a phone call and Mingyu can't see him. "Yes."

"Oh my--" Mingyu starts, and Seungkwan doesn't hear the end of the sentence.

He pulls his phone away from his ear, and his phone informs him that the call has been disconnected.

Seungkwan frowns.  It's a prank, he knew it.  He hates to admit that he fell for such a prank, but there's no denying it.  How will he face his friends?

His phone starts vibrating in his hand, and Seungkwan stares.  Mingyu is calling him back?

Seungkwan decides to answer the phone.  (He never promised anything about not answering Mingyu's calls to him.)  "Hello?"

"I'm so sorry.  My idiot best friend stole my phone and hung up on you.  How may I help you?"

Seungkwan clears his throat, "I'm, um, f-filling my prescription."

"Um, ye-yeah," Mingyu coughs, "I would be super willing to accommodate."

"Great," Seungkwan replies.  He still cannot flirt for the life of him.  There is a reason that he has been sexy, free, and single for a while.

"Shall we iron out the details over text?" Mingyu suggests.

"Do you need my number?" Seungkwan grimaces again, slapping a hand over his mouth.  Sometimes, he amazes himself with his own stupidity.

"Nah, I think I'm good."

"BYE," Seungkwan blurts out, hanging up the phone before Mingyu has the chance to bid him adieu.  He suppresses the urge to squeal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment/kudos/bookmark. (subscribe?)  
> boogyu appreciation squad assemble!
> 
> (yes, sexy free + single is my favorite super junior song, how did you know? ready to binGO.)


	3. first dosage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing a soda means more than you would think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw when it takes you forever and a day and a rewrite to update a fic... hahahahaa. awkward.  
> sorry for making you wait so long!
> 
>  
> 
> i'm also sorry about typos and missing words. editing and proofing are not my strong suit.

After the twentieth click of Jisoo's pen, Seungkwan is ready to kill him.  He wants to jump across his desk and punch him in the face. 

The little things are getting to him today.  The new intern, Jisung, spent a moment too long trying to figure out the copier, and Seungkwan almost bit his head off.  Perhaps, if it were any other day, Seungkwan might be able to keep a level head and concentrate on channeling his good person vibes.

Of course, today is not a normal day.  He has a date.  The nervous knot in his stomach has been sitting there, churning his insides since last week when they agreed on a time and place to meet.  It began small but as the week went by it expanded; now Seungkwan can't breathe with thinking that he's that much closer to being face to face with Kim Mingyu again.

And it isn't even as though it will be some groundbreaking date, they are going out to dinner and then catching a movie.  It's the bread and butter of dating, simple and difficult to botch.  Seungkwan just needs to survive the day, leave work a few minutes early, get dressed, and arrive at the meet-up point with no time chicken out.

However, murdering Jisoo in broad daylight would throw his evening plans off of the rails.  Seungkwan sighs and glares at Jisoo, "Will you stop?"

Jisoo stops mid-click and turns to Seungkwan with a worried look, "Do you think he's dating her?"

"What?"

Jisoo shakes his head, "You're right.  I'm being silly. It's none of my business if he's dating anyone."  He swivels back to his computer, setting his pen down and letting his fingers hover over the keyboard.

Seungkwan rolls his eyes, "Is this about Junhui?"

Jisoo whips back around, "It's just that I'm his mentor, you know?  I don't want him to feel like he needs to hide things from me.  I am solely a resource for him to adjust to life in Korea."

"Your pants are on fire," Seungkwan deadpans.  "Just ask him.  It takes three seconds."

"But he'll want to know why I'm asking," Jisoo whines.

Seungkwan leans over his desk, "Look, I just need to make it to 5:30.   My date is tonight; whether or not Junhui is dating someone is relevant to only you."

"Ah, the date with the irresponsible doctor," Jisoo harrumphs, subtly expressing his disapproval once again.

"I'll be fully culpable if it doesn't work out, so why don't you focus on your own relationship turmoils?"

Jisoo softly replies, "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

That softens Seungkwan up the tiniest bit.

 

//

 

Seungkwan checks his appearance in his reflection in the window.  He frowns and decides to add another layer of lip balm.  If this turns out to be some extended prank, Seungkwan is going to be mortified.

He runs his hands over his shirt to smooth out nearly imperceptible wrinkles.  His nerves are on the edge of turning into a ball of excitement; they'll solidify once he finally finds Mingyu.  All that is required for a moderately successful date is Seungkwan's ability to speak properly and eat without getting food everywhere.

Seungkwan gives himself a nod of encouragement and makes his way toward the fountain in the middle of the square, where he and MIngyu agreed to meet.  The last rays of the sun are sinking behind the cityscape, leaving the sky a dark blue tone and exposing a sliver of the moon.

He sits on the edge of the fountain and looking around, scanning the crowd for someone with a similar height and profile as Mingyu.  He presses his feet against the ground to keep his knees from bouncing.  Out of habit, he checks his phone, hoping that Mingyu will have sent a text saying 'I'm on my way' or something like that.  The clock on his phone gives Mingyu six minutes before he's officially late.  There are two notifications on Seungkwan's lock screen.  One is from Jeonghan, which is just a winky face, and the other is from Seokmin that requests an immediate debrief once his evening out with Mingyu concludes.

He sighs and tucks his phone back into his pocket.  He resumes his search for his date.  He doesn't have to look for very long because he spots Mingyu, who is just as unfairly attractive as he remembers. 

Seungkwan stares numbly because, in fact, Mingyu actually stepped up his game.  Somehow, Mingyu looks even better in his street clothes.  The beanie is reminiscent of Wonwoo, but where it makes Wonwoo look an angst-ridden teenager, it makes Mingyu into a model from an alternative magazine.  

His mouth feels dry as he stands up and tries to subtly catch Mingyu's attention.  He suddenly has regrets about making their meeting place at a public fountain.  Everyone can see that Mingyu is settling for a person with the fashion sense of an elementary school teacher.  (Seokmin's voice shouts at him about confidence.)

Mingyu finally sees Seungkwan and smiles widely.  He weaves through the crowd and stops in front of Seungkwan.  He's a little bit taller now that Seungkwan does not have an exam table to sit on.

"You came," Seungkwan jokes with too much air in his voice.  It forces him to laugh it off awkwardly.

Thankfully, Mingyu plays along, diffusing the tension. "That happens when plans are made."

Mingyu looks down at his wrist, checking his watch.  He clicks his tongue and nods, "So, do you want to grab a quick bite before the movie?  Or do you want to walk around and then pig out on snacks at the theater?"

Seungkwan stammers, rubbing the back of his neck, "I-I-I don't know.  Uh, um, what do you want to do?"

"Well, if it was just me, I would just eat snacks at the theater." Mingyu pauses before mumbling under his breath, "Plus, twilight strolls in the city can be romantic."

He pretends that he doesn't hear Mingyu's quiet addition.  He clears his throat and says, "Since I'm not  _that_ hungry, I suppose walking around and then eating overpriced concessions would be my preference as well."

Mingyu claps his hands together, "We have half an hour to wander around."

"Half an hour?" Seungkwan asks, wondering why Mingyu wants to get there so early.

Mingyu puckers his lips, "First confession of the date, I suppose.  I like getting to the movies early so that I can answer the pre-show trivia."

They walk around the plaza, going in and out of the stores.  They walk closely enough for the backs of their hands to brush against each other, but Seungkwan doesn't quite have the confidence to grab his hand yet.

They end up in a glasses/sunglasses store, and Seungkwan watches as Mingyu slides on a pair of black circle sunglasses.  Even with the 90s aesthetic, Mingyu still looks amazing.

"Have you ever been scouted?"  Seungkwan asks casually while slowly spinning one of the glasses racks.

Mingyu snorts, "Yeah."

Seungkwan bites in the inside of cheek before quietly asking, "By who?"

Mingyu turns around and pulls the sunglasses down the bridge of his nose with his fourth finger, "Why?"

Seungkwan breaks eye contact with Mingyu.  Somehow, it feels rude to ask him why he became a doctor with a face like that.  It reduces Mingyu's value to society to how beautiful he is.  So, Seungkwan lies because he doesn't want Mingyu to think ill of him.  With a plastic smile, he says, "Just curious to see if the same agencies that sought Jeonghan also tried to sign you."

"Who is Jeonghan again?"

"One of the unfortunate few that I call my friends," Seungkwan mumbles.  He sees the time and exclaims, "We should get to the theater!"

He pulls the sunglasses off of Mingyu's face and sets them down.  He grabs Mingyu's wrist and leads him out of the store.  He practically drags Mingyu to the theater without looking back to make sure that Mingyu is okay and not offended by anything he might have implied in the store.

They stop in front of the box office, and he steps aside for Mingyu to tell the kid behind the counter that they have reserved tickets.  Mingyu offers a puzzled look before retrieving their tickets.

Seungkwan walks over to the snack counter, looking at the menu.  He feels a nudge against his arm and glances to see that Mingyu has joined him in examining the food options.

"Nachos," Mingyu says.

Seungkwan nods and suggests, "Popcorn."

"Do you want to get two separate colas or get a humongous one to share?"

It makes Seungkwan giggle, "As a doctor, shouldn't you be apprehensive about sharing a drink with another person?"

Mingyu shrugs, "If you have mono, I'm bound to get it.  So, why not economize and get it over with?"

Seungkwan chokes on an inhale and coughs quietly in an attempt to hide his surprise at Mingyu's comment.  He steps up to the counter and quietly orders nachos, a bucket of popcorn, and a large soda.  Mingyu ends up holding the popcorn and guides them to the correct theater, where their seats are in the very back row.  Unsurprisingly, Seungkwan and Mingyu are the first ones in there.

Mingyu settles into his seat with a satisfied sigh, hugging the popcorn briefly before patting the seat next to him.  Seungkwan sinks down and places the cola in the cup holder between them. 

"Do you normally get scared at these kinds of movies?"  Mingyu asks quietly.

Seungkwan silently hands Mingyu his nachos, "I'm not as bad as some of my friends."

Mingyu offers the bucket of popcorn to Seungkwan.  As it turns out, Mingyu is a beast at movie trivia.  He answers every single question that gets projected onto the screen.  By the time that trailers start, Mingyu has a perfect score and Seungkwan only has two points.  Mingyu leans over and promises in a hushed tone, "One day, I'll get you on my level."

Roughly halfway through the movie is when Seungkwan starts to lose his cool.  Being able to scream one time less than Seokmin in a haunted house might be an accomplishment, but it has no practical application while watching a suspenseful movie when his best friend isn't there.  When the third jump scare comes around, it causes his legs to buck, forcing some of the popcorn to jump out of the bucket.

Mingyu deliberately wraps his fingers around Seungkwan's hand and rubs his thumb across the back of Seungkwan's hand.  Although it serves to distract him from the tension on screen, it makes his heart race even faster.  He can feel blush flooding the planes of his cheeks.

He has to focus on his breathing to make sure that he doesn't betray anything too obvious.  Clearly, he doesn't dislike holding Mingyu's hand, but he can very well squeal like a little girl because a cute guy wants to maintain bodily contact with him.

Mingyu holds Seungkwan's hand for the rest of the movie, even during the final wrap-up where the main protagonist moves on forward with a semi-happy ending.  The only reason that they break their linked hands is to throw the trash away, Seungkwan thinks.  He almost reaches out for Mingyu's hand again once the trash is in the proper receptacle.

He refrains from doing so, in case this didn't go as well for Mingyu as it did for Seungkwan.

Seungkwan walks in tandem with Mingyu as they return to their initial meet-up point.  Mingyu sticks out his hand, "This was fun."

Seungkwan's mood falls.  A handshake is not exactly a good sign; it's the farewell gesture for a business meeting, not a date.  Apparently, Mingyu doesn't think that they clicked, which is disappointing, to say the least.

He forces himself to grin and bear it, seizing Mingyu's warm hand, "Indeed."

"I'll call you or text you or something," Mingyu says, still shaking Seungkwan's hand.

Seungkwan nods, attempting not to grimace at the addition of "something" at the end of Mingyu's sentence.

Suddenly, Mingyu ducks forward and presses a soft kiss on Seungkwan's cheek.  He pulls away and whispers in Seungkwan's ear, "Until we meet again."

And just like that, Mingyu pulls away and slips into the crowd.  Seungkwan stands still, shocked and slowly realizing the implications of a swift peck on the cheek.  Like a love-struck teenager, he raises his hand to his face where the imprint of Mingyu's lips still tingles and giggles.

He walks back home in a daze, forgetting to call Seokmin for a debrief.  He doesn't care at the moment.  He is preoccupied with thinking about when he might able to get his next dose of Kim Mingyu.

His love-sickness might be getting worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't have a real excuse for the shortness other than I originally planned to take this another way, and then accidentally dropped this for a month.
> 
> comment or kudos or bookmark or subscribe if any of those are something you want to do.
> 
> thanks for reading!


	4. aed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu, in his bright pink tiara, is handsome as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgive me.  
> i'm sorry that i keep dropping this, and i appreciate all of you who have to put up with me and continue to read.
> 
> still do my own editing, so there are probably missed words and typos

"He kissed you on the cheek," Seokmin says dryly, looking mildly disgusted as he brings his mug of coffee up to his lips.

"I don't like the way you just said that."

Seokmin shrugs, "Was it even a good date?"

"It can be a good date even if they don't go home together," Jihoon monotonously remarks, betraying his interest in the conversation.  Seungkwan finds it touching that Jihoon is pretending to be disinterested but eavesdropping regardless.

"Can it though?" Seokmin snorts.

Jihoon flips him off, muttering, "Seungkwan has his own pace."

Seokmin ignores Jihoon's input.  "Is he cute enough for you to continue trying despite this obvious disinterest?"

He frowns, "He's not...  _disinterested._  He totally flashed a charming smile after kissing my cheek."

"He gave you his number by writing you a fucking prescription.  I don't think he has a normal timetable for dating."

Seungkwan sits back in his seat, picking at his cuticles.  He wants to defend Seokmin's comment, but he's not entirely sure if it's because he wants to defend Mingyu's character or defend the connection he felt.

Jihoon places a hand on Seungkwan's leg, "If he turns out to be a tool, we'll fight him."

 

//

 

 

Seungkwan has met Junhui three times.  He is nice enough.  He doesn't try to speak to anyone other than Jisoo whenever there are other people present while with him.  When spoken to, he nods and lets out a soft laugh as though the words being spoken are a little too fast for him to understand.  He often speaks quietly and seeks out Jisoo, trusting that he will correct any mispronunciation or wrong words.  The best way to describe him without Jisoo is timid and awkward.  Of course, Seungkwan only sees Junhui when he comes into work to eat lunch with Jisoo for their bi-monthly meet-ups.

Seokmin thinks that he looks like a player and is trying to sink his evil little hooks into Jisoo. ( _"He's the personification of a fuck boy.  In the dictionary, his picture is the definition."_ )  Then again, Seokmin has only seen the one picture that Jisoo eagerly shared over drinks and karaoke.

Junhui stands at the entrance of the office with a bag from a burger joint that has grease stains near the bottom.  Seungkwan notes the change in hair color from its default black to a stark blond.  It makes him wonder what Junhui does for a living since he seems comfortable changing his hair color.  He watches as Junhui cranes his neck to search for Jisoo, softly biting his lower lip.  Seungkwan almost thinks he detects anticipation in Junhui's eyes.

Jisoo isn't here, though.  Jisung needed help towing all of the coffee back to the office, and Jisoo selflessly offered to help him out; Seungkwan figures that Jisoo didn't have time to shoot Junhui a message about his temporary absence.  Seungkwan knows that he has to help Junhui out, but odds are that Junhui will barely recognize him.  (Seungkwan is fairly sure that Junhui doesn't actually know his name.)

With a resigned sigh, Seungkwan pushes away from his desk and walks up to Junhui.  He watches a dim flicker of recognition go off in Junhui's eyes.  He chooses not to reintroduce himself to save Junhui the embarrassment of trying to play it off as though he already knew that.  "Jisoo is on a coffee run, but he'll be back soon.  I'll show you to his desk, and you can wait for him there."

Junhui nods slowly and follows Seungkwan to Jisoo's desk.  He takes a seat in Jisoo's chair, his eyes immediately drawn to the items cluttering Jisoo's desk.

Seungkwan returns to his own desk, keeping an eye on what Junhui does.  He runs his fingers along the framed photo of Jisoo and his mom and reads the sticky notes on the edges of Jisoo's desktop screen.  Then he sees Jisoo's screensaver.  

Oh no.

Jisoo's screensaver is an inside joke of sorts.  One night after just enough drinks, Jeonghan got all sentimental and told Jisoo that they were meant to be together (" _B_ _esties ordained by the Gods or some shit," Jeonghan slurs, clinging to Jisoo's_ _side_.)  They ended up having a wedding shoot for a "friendship ceremony" because Jeonghan felt that his confession was something to be remembered.  Jisoo's current screensaver shows them in formal suits, Jeonghan smashing cake against Jisoo's face.  The photo is easily misinterpreted.

Junhui leans back, stiffening his posture. 

Seungkwan almost says something but is interrupted by Jisoo's chipper greeting to Junhui.  He's back from the coffee run, just in time for Junhui to make up an excuse to get away.

Oh no.

The look of hurt and confusion on Jisoo's face makes it worse.

 

//

 

When Seungkwan receives a text message twenty minutes before his second date with his dreamy doctor, panic presses against his chest.  The sound of his notification going off too soon to be related to their planned excursion to the ice-skating rink makes him flinch.

He reaches for his phone as dread fills his chest, entirely sure that Mingyu has sent him an excuse to cancel their date.  Even with the relative success of their movie date, Seungkwan has this nagging fear that the more Mingyu gets to know Seungkwan, the more he'll want nothing to do with him.  It does not help that Seokmin seems to think that their first date ended in a disaster.

Seungkwan is surprised to find that Mingyu has sent him a new address and short message about a change of plans.  Mingyu simply says that he hopes Seungkwan understands.  For a brief moment, he doesn't know what to do.  He could reply saying that he'd be willing to reschedule if need be.  On the other hand, he desperately wants to see Mingyu; his cheek still remembers the way it felt to have Mingyu's lips there.  His heart thuds at the mere thought of it.

He decides to go to the address MIngyu sent him.  Has he mentioned that he is dying to see MIngyu?  Cute text messages are not enough to sate him.

Seungkwan finds himself in a nice neighborhood, the kind of neighborhood with high walled gates and a wide street lined with luxury cars.  Does Mingyu live  _here?_ Seungkwan knows that most doctors aren't exactly hurting financially, but shouldn't Mingyu have some loans to pay off from med school?  Or is he much older than Seungkwan thinks?  Maybe his family is rich, and he is just a doctor because it is something to do.

Seungkwan finds the correct house and tentatively pushes the gate open.  It isn't locked, so Mingyu must have left it like that for ease of access.  There is a concrete path leading up to the front door of the house, cutting through a well-manicured lawn.  The house borrows some architectural features from Western homes; it has an inset porch, held up thin pillars.  There is even a porch swing.  Each step closer to the front door amps up Seungkwan's heartrate.

Seungkwan takes a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, pressing his pointer finger against the small white button to ring the doorbell. He is almost paranoid that a maid or butler will answer the door and stiffly say that Mingyu wants Seungkwan to fuck off and forget this address.  For a brief moment, he thinks about the implications of being invited to Mingyu's house on the second date.  He suppresses the urge to blush.

The door pulls open.  Seungkwan has to look down to see the person answering it, who is a little girl in a purple tutu and bunny ears.  She is cute, bangs down to her eyebrows, hair swept into a neat ponytail.

Oh no, Mingyu is married and has a daughter. Seungkwan blanches; he doesn't want to be a homewrecker.  He freezes, unsure of how to run away without ruining this little girl's world.  He mentally curses at Mingyu for turning him into a terrible person.  How dare he break the news to his family like this?  His mind jumps to the worst case scenario of him being slapped by a beautiful wife and being shunned by the community for destroying a happy family.

His panic spiral is abruptly cut off when the girl asks, "Who are you?"

"Seungkwan..." he says quietly, finding himself incapable of lying, the shock of the revelation short-circuiting his reasoning.

The little girl smiles and claps, grabbing Seungkwan's hand and yanking him in.  She slams the door shut and drags him through the house.  He doesn't even have time to take his shoes off; she's busy pointing out the things in her house, "And this is the living room.  And this is Hana, she's terrible at dancing but we like to let her put on performances anyhow," she divulges about a stuffed octopus in the middle of the floor.  She continues without pause, "And this is Daddy's study.  And this is a bathroom.  And this is the kitchen."

They stop in the doorway to the kitchen, but the little girl doesn't let go of his hand.  Mingyu stands over the stove, wooden spoon in hand with an apron tied around his thin frame.  He wears a pair of black jeans and a shirt with horizontal stripes that get thicker the closer to the waist that they get.  The most striking piece of his ensemble is the bright pink, fuzzy, plastic tiara on his head.

"Princess Mingyu," the little girl says in an authoritative voice.

"Yes, your Majesty?" Mingyu replies, looking up from the pot of food he is preparing.  The playful look falls off of his face when he sees Seungkwan.  Embarrassment floods Mingyu's cheeks with a bright pink.  Seungkwan begins berating him as an adulterer from afar.

"Yebin?" Mingyu raises an eyebrow.

"Yes?" The little girl responds.

"Did you introduce yourself to Seungkwan?"

Yebin falters, loosening her grip on Seungkwan's hand, "Well, I, um, no.  You just said to tell you when he got here.  He's here."

"Choi Yebin," Mingyu says, stepping away from the stove.  He walks over and picks her up, looking her right in the eye, "Dude, we've talked about this.  You need to introduce yourself when you meet someone for the first time."

Choi... Yebin?

She huffs, "Daddy says I should never talk to strangers, though."

Mingyu closes his eyes and exhales.  He sets her down and gestures toward Seungkwan, "Seungkwan is nice enough to help me look after you today, so introduce yourself to him formally."

"Uncle Min--" Yebin begins to protest.

Uncle?

"CHOI Yebin! Do you want Seungkwan to think that your father isn't raising you right?"

Yebin immediately turns and bows to Seungkwan, "Hello.  I am Choi Yebin, and my father is raising me right."

It is at this point that Seungkwan feels a tremendous amount of guilt because he realizes that Mingyu is not married.  He always does this and assumes the worst in people; he should stop jumping to the worst conclusion and trust Mingyu a little bit.  He nods in response to Yebin's self-introduction, "I'm Boo Seungkwan, and I think my mother raised me right."

"Do you want to see my rock collection?" Yebin asks eagerly.

"Um, Yebin, I need to talk to Seungkwan for like two seconds before you show him your rather extensive rock collection," Mingyu smiles at her, pulls Seungkwan toward the stove by the elbow.

"Hi," Mingyu greets softly.

Seungkwan can't help but have his breath taken away by how close he is to Mingyu.  He smiles; Mingyu, in his bright pink tiara, is handsome as ever.  He murmurs softly, "Hello."

"Sorry to rope you into babysitting duty.  She's my goddaughter, and her dad had to fill in for someone else on short notice. I had changeable plans..." Mingyu explains in a hurry.  "Not that I wasn't looking forward to our date--I really was--but his normal babysitter was unavailable and I just really hope you don't hate kids.  If you do, you can totally go home, and I'll say something about you feeling unwell to Yebin."

He almost laughs out loud.  Two minutes ago, he thought Mingyu was a horrible person, carrying on an affair despite having a child.  Now, Mingyu is being unbelievably sweet about having to change their date plans to babysitting.  He rests a hand on Mingyu's shoulder, "It's fine.  You should continue cooking, I have some rocks to look at."

Mingyu regards Seungkwan tentatively for a moment before a relieved smile breaks out on his face.  He nods happily and says, "She might try to crown you with something, so be prepared for that."

He nods and turns around, "Yebin, I'm ready to see some rocks."

Yebin claps happily and grabs his hand again.  She leads him up a staircase and into the first door in sight.  It is quite clearly her room.  The walls are painted a pale purple, the bed has a princess pink canopy, and stuffed animals are everywhere.  She parks Seungkwan on the edge of her bed and runs to her closet, dragging a large box out. 

Yebin has quite the rock collection.  She shows each one to Seungkwan carefully, naming each type of rock and then telling him what its name is.  She has a piece of rose quartz named Penelope.  (Don't tell any of the other rocks, but Penelope is her favorite.) 

"How old are you, Yebin?" Seungkwan asks, helping put her rock collection back into its box meticulously.

"Seven and a half."

"Do you want to be a geologist?"

"What is a geologist?" she asks, checking Penelope to make sure that the rock is in the same condition.

"A scientist that studies rocks," Seungkwan replies.  She nods in response, grinning at a rock named Lee Minhyuk.

"FOOD!" Mingyu yells from downstairs, registering as a muffled and barely intelligible screech.

Seungkwan follows Yebin downstairs.  Mingyu is already sitting down at the head of the table, waiting for everyone to join him.  On the table, there is fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green beans.  It is far from a traditional dinner, but Yebin seems very pleased with the spread, eyeing the macaroni with a greedy look.  She jumps into her seat, and Seungkwan chooses the seat across from hers, putting him on Mingyu's left-hand side.

Mingyu addresses Yebin, "Wait for Seungkwan to have some of the mac and cheese, then you can just have the bowl, kiddo."

Seungkwan puts a little bit of everything on his plate, slightly amazed that Mingyu can apparently cook too.  And it's good.  It is hardly fair that Mingyu is an actual person.  For most of their dinner, Yebin discusses how her day went.  There was a spelling test, and she thinks that she knocked it out of the park.  There is a new girl in class, Ana, and she has a very cute backpack.  Seungkwan steals glances at Mingyu occasionally, finding that he likes the tender look in Mingyu's eyes.

At the end of the meal, Yebin abruptly interrupts her sentence and asks, "What do you do for a living, Seungkwan?"

It is an oddly phrased question, something a potential in-law would ask rather than a seven-year-old. Seungkwan shifts in his seat, setting his utensils aside, "I work at the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.  Public relations department."

"That sounds boring," she replies, shoveling more food into her mouth.

Seungkwan nods, "Lots of office drama, though."

After they finish eating, Mingyu and Seungkwan supervise Yebin's viewing of Frozen.  She has seen it many times before--if the singing and dancing and recitation of dialogue mean anything.  Mingyu casually presses his leg against Seungkwan's, trying to keep their conversation quiet enough that the movie is undisturbed.  The majority of the conversation consists of commentary on the movie; any deeper conversation would feel out of place.

Yebin gets tucked in after the movie ends, finally tuckered out.  Mingyu oversees her brush her teeth and wash her face.  Seungkwan starts cleaning dishes, opting not to intrude on the moment.  Technically, he shouldn't have even met Yebin, at least not yet.  He fills the sink with warm water, adds soap, tugs on a pair of kitchen gloves, and slowly cleaning the plates.

Mingyu comes down a short time later and begins to dry the dishes that have been set on the rack.  It feels oh so domestic and too comfortable; Seungkwan could imagine washing dishes in a comfortable silence with Mingyu for a long time.  It scares him how easily he can imagine an extensive future with Mingyu, and tonight barely qualifies as a date.

"I should probably get going," Seungkwan murmurs, after he hands off the last plate to Mingyu.  The moment feels right, the most natural way to depart for the night.

"That's probably a good idea," Mingyu agrees.  "Should I walk you to your car?"

Seungkwan tugs off the yellow rubber cleaning gloves with a soft smile, "I don't think you should leave Yebin unattended."

"Right."  Mingyu snaps his fingers, "Let me walk you to the door then."

Mingyu accompanies him to the foyer where Seungkwan slips back into his shoes that he retroactively placed there before heading upstairs to Yebin's room.  Mingyu leans against the wall, "Thanks for hanging out."

"It was fun," Seungkwan replies softly.

"I'm sorry that it wasn't really the date it was meant to be.  I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Seungkwan turns to Mingyu and sticks out a hand.  He can already feel that it is the wrong move to make.  He should have gone for a hug or something; now his body language seems like he would rather be friends with MIngyu more than anything else.  He lacks the confidence to kiss Mingyu at this very moment.

Mingyu snorts,"Is this you subtly implying that you want babysitting dues?  I could probably convince Seungcheol to pay you if you really want it."

Seungkwan jerks his hand away, "I'm sorry.  I don't know the proper departure salutation for a babysitting date-not-date," he confesses quietly.

MIngyu smiles again and sticks out his pinky, "We swear that we'll have a make-up date that has nothing to do with seven-year-olds."

Seungkwan links his pinky with Mingyu's, "Okay then.  Goodnight."

"Drive safe.  Let me know when you get home."

Seungkwan nods and pulls his hand away from Mingyu's.  He is halfway down the path leading to the gate when he feels a hand on his shoulder.  He spins around to see Mingyu, surprised by his presence but not that it's him.  Mingyu stares at Seungkwan for three seconds and says, "Never mind."  He turns on his heel heads back toward the house.

"Never mind?"

Mingyu whips back around, "It is something better saved for an actual date that has flow."

Seungkwan marches up to Mingyu and steels himself.  Now that he has the option, he is not waiting for another week or two to get another opportunity.  He grabs Mingyu's face and pulls him down into a kiss.  He does so with a little too much force, and Mingyu doesn't quite recover from the shock in time to save it.  He does, however, realize that their lips are firmly interlocked.

He tenderly kisses Seungkwan back, hands pulling Seungkwan against him. 

Seungkwan would, if given the choice, stay firmly put for a long time.  However, he needs to get home and Mingyu resume watch over Yebin.  So, Seungkwan pulls away, slowly opening his eyes.  He nods and pats Mingyu's shoulder, "Goodnight, Mingyu."

"Great night."

Seungkwan waves as he goes, closing the gate behind him.

He does  _not_ do a completely dorky dance or squeal.  He also does not skip back to his car and hum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **using international ages bc it's easier.
> 
> comment/kudos/bookmark if you feel like doing any of those things. i appreciate you either way.  
> (feel like it's a poorly written chapter, so i'm v sorry about that... feel free to yell at me for it on [ tumblr ](https://yehetno.tumblr.com).)


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